Jeep Commander gets its marching orders?

Jeep's Grand Cherokee-derived Commander is no more than a year away from the chopping block, according to a report by US news service Bloomberg.

The agency report suggests a 43 per cent sales decline so far this year, which comes in the wake of diminishing volumes ever since its 2006 launch, had effectively curtailed the big SUV's lifespan.

Company insiders quoted by Bloomberg said rising fuel prices in the US were largely responsible for sounding the Commander's death knell. That said, it seems quite apparent that a number of other gargantuan, gas-guzzling SUVs still sell in reasonable numbers in America, so this argument isn't entirely convincing.

Some sources suggest the fact the Commander was cannibalising sales of its Grand Cherokee sibling may also have something to do with the alleged decision to axe the former.

Based on a stretched version of the XK platform that underpins the Grand Cherokee, the Commander is about 50mm longer than its stablemate, liberating enough room for a third row of seats.

Distinguished by boxy retro-inspired lines that hark back to Jeep's 1970s/'80s offerings, the Commander was launched here in May 2006. It's offered locally with three engines -- a 3.0-litre turbodiesel, a 4.7-litre V8 and a range-topping 5.7-litre Hemi V8 -- and pricing ranges from $55K to $72K.

Despite its practicality/versatility, the Commander hasn't exactly been a runaway sales success here. It found just 440 buyers last year, compared with 1991 sales for the Wrangler, 1500 for the Cherokee and 1077 for the Grand Cherokee.

Things haven't gotten any better so far this year, with just 88 Commander sales until the end of March, making it the least popular of Jeep's six-model line-up.

If, indeed, the Commander bites the dust next year, it's not likely to be missed by too many people -- barring Jeep aficionados with an army of sprogs.

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